War Head (Starship for Sale Book 9) by M.R. Forbes

Author:M.R. Forbes [Forbes, M.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2023-02-09T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 23

I left Keep in the makeshift CIC, collecting reports from the various officials in the console windows. He had jokingly told me there was no pressure for me to do anything spectacular, but of course we both knew that’s all the sentiment was. A joke. All I felt was pressure.

It frustrated me, not because fate had decided to hand me such an important role in this fight, but because I knew I couldn’t measure up to the expectations or needs. Transiting to the palace from Earth, chasing Blorb, and fighting the Gilded had left me almost completely tapped out. One more enhance, or one less hot dog, and I might have gone over the edge of the abyss, paralyzed, unconscious, and useless. The only reason I survived was because Nattic and Quasar arrived in the nick of time. Five more seconds, and I wouldn’t be here to worry about how I would lift a heavier burden than my current fitness level would allow. It put the pressure I felt into perspective. I’d rather be nervous about the future than absent from it.

I found Shaq at the end of the row of cots. Too small to afford him an entire bed of his own, someone had grabbed one of the boxes the food being handed out had been packed in, added some gauze for padding and soft foam packing for a pillow and set him up inside it. He rested on his stomach, his body forced straight by the clear cast printed around his chest, holding his damaged bones in place while they healed. He looked comfortable enough.

“Hey, bud,” I said, dropping to my knees beside him. “How are you feeling?”

“Humiliated,” he replied in his own language, now that I could understand some of it.

“Because they stuck you in a cardboard box? I get it. But there are a lot of wounded.”

“Mmmhmmm. Still sucks.”

“From what I hear, you’ll be good as new in three days. Once I get a little rest, I can speed that up. You won’t have to be in that stabilizer for long.”

“Save your energy,” Shaq buzzed. “Jaggers heal fast.”

“Impressively fast. Do you need anything? Are you hungry?”

“Nope. You?”

“Things could have gone better, but they could have been a lot worse. I’m cautiously optimistic.” I paused, exhaling a deep sigh. “That’s a lie. I don’t know how I’m going to do this. I’m not strong enough.”

“Don’t need to be,” he answered. “Have me.”

I smiled. “No offense, but your effectiveness is limited against Gilded.”

“Bastards.”

“Anyway, I’m serious. Everything is riding on me. Keep is counting on me, but I already know I can’t win.”

“How do you know that?”

“Blorb’s Gilded came within seconds of killing me,” I replied. “And they almost killed you. If Quasar hadn’t shown up when she did…” I trailed off, losing more hope with each word I uttered. “How can I be a savior for the galaxy when I can’t even save myself?”

“With help,” Shaq insisted.

“How is anyone supposed to help me take on Lyke and

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